The business of death can be a lucrative one, and no one knows that better than David Sconce. His family’s funeral home in Pasadena became the subject of a scandal back in January 1987. David’s parents ran the funeral home while David took over the crematorium side of the business. Weaving interviews with David himself, former employees, and family members of some of the cremated, this three-part series spins a ghastly tale of greed and bad deeds.
Packing their ovens full of bodies while family members thought their loved one was getting a sole cremation, David soon had skyrocketing profits—but that wasn’t enough for him. Pulling gold teeth from bodies was common practice, as was taking anything of worth off the bodies before they burned. Ashes were given to loved ones that very well may not have contained any ashes of their lost loved ones.
He was eventually convicted of some of his crimes, including conspiracy to hire hitmen to take out other funeral directors, theft, and assault. Anyone with a penchant for true crime docs will probably enjoy this quick dive into a dark little secret from the streets of quaint Pasadena. (Three approximately 1-hour episodes.)
—Anna Starkey
This article appears in Jul 17-27, 2025.